The real "takers" in America.

Today is Labor Day in America, so I feel a need to talk about hard work and the affect it has had on us all.


Of course we can't talk about labor in America without acknowledging the black Mandingo in the room.


Slavery has been around since 1619, and it officially lasted until 1865, which is eight months or so after the Civil War ended.


The thing is, even after slavery officially ended, there was still "Negro involuntary servitude" which persisted until 1940.


So anyway, America, thanks to the free labor of the Negro, has thrived as a nation, and quite a few Americans became very wealthy as a result. It's no secret that the wealth many white Americans enjoy today is a direct result of slavery.     


So today there is this perception among folks in the elite (see Paul Ryan and his friends in congress) that hard working poor people (see Negroes) are "takers".


This, of course, is a myth.


There are folks who work two jobs in cities like Philadelphia just trying to make ends meet, and who sleep three hours a night because they have to get up early in the morning to take two buses to get to a job in the suburbs because there are no jobs left in the city.

There are folks who wipe up old people's shit and bathe them for $9 an hour because their own children-- who are too busy pursuing happiness-- just don't have time to care for them anymore.


There are folks who work in restaurants cleaning dishes and laboring over hot oil for 12 hours per day for minimum wage, so that folks who are too lazy to cook themselves can go out and order and then enjoy a meal.


Those people are not "takers", they are "makers".


People like Paul Ryan and his scumbag politrickster friends are the "takers". They give nothing to society besides rhetoric.


I am glad that Paul Ryan had his come to Jesus moment, but I suspect that this is just more bull s**t from a politician who wants to be president one day. He realizes that he will never get the working man vote with his grandiloquent "makers versus takers"  type language.

"When you compare liberal progressivism's promises with the future that conservatism can actually deliver, the choice is clear. The way forward I'm proposing fosters risk-taking, ingenuity and creativity. Instead of growing government, it grows the economy and offers everyone greater opportunity and prosperity. It can unwind the cycle of dependency and finally defeat poverty. And, perhaps most important, it protects our rights while offering a real safety net for those in need—without overpowering the private economy or our private lives.

Mapping this path has been the focus of my work in Congress. I don't have all of the answers, but as an elected leader, I do have a responsibility to help start and sustain a conversation about where we go from here."

Mr. Ryan, you could start by talking about raising the minimum wage for some of the hardworking people I referenced above, but somehow I  doubt that you will do that. Why? Because, at the end of the day, you are not supporting the real "makers" in society. They can't afford the lobbyists who keep you comfortable in Washington.

You and your colleagues align yourselves with the "takers". The folks who want nothing more than to line their pockets, and, in return, line yours.

Happy Labor Day to the "makers".       

*Pic from Salon.com 

Mitt's laborers.

*

It’s Labor Day, so it is the perfect time for us to remind our republican friends--- who have been chirping about all that they built--- who really built this country.    

I have a hint for you: It wasn’t Mitt or Paul’s Ryan's daddy.

Anyway, is it just in my mind or was Mitt talking to some of us folks when he tried to play "white identity politics" with his welfare Queen meme? I got the impression that Mitt was using folks like me to blow dog whistles and pander to his base. Those Negroes don’t want to work, they want things for free. Obama is their president. I am your candidate. I want people to work for a living. Obama and his supporters want free stuff. (He trotted out the same line when referring to college students receiving student loans. As if money for a college education is a bad thing.)  

Yes, because we all know that the poor middle aged woman who leaves her home in North Philly at 5 o-clock every morning, and takes three different buses to get to the burbs to clean some old woman’s shit, doesn’t really work hard. That’s for the guy wearing the Brioni suit with the custom made shirts who sits on his ass all day and cuts deals.

 Mitt, I think we just all want the same opportunities that were available to you. I want to be able to take advantage of tax loopholes. I want to be able to get a good education and make the same type of connections while getting it. I want to be able to play on the same level playing field with someone whose father might have been wealthy and well connected. I want to be rewarded for my hard work and entrepreneurial spirit. That is what America is supposed to represent. I don’t want to be working in a society that won’t reward me for my hard work because the deck was stacked by you (Mitt) and your wealthy influential friends against me.     

It’s really that simple.

Happy Labor Day everybody.    

*Pic from Radio Man's Kansas City.